Regenerative agriculture the way of the future
Regenerative agriculture, while not a magic bullet, has the potential to transform the country’s food systems because of its grassroots beginnings and corporate support, says one researcher.
The adoption of regenerative agriculture globally has been farmer-led, and has now caught the attention of multinationals, such as McCain, PepsiCo, Nestle, Unilever, General Mills and Danone. But this has left scientists trying to play catch up, Dr Gwen Grelet said.
Grelet is leading a crossdisciplinary project looking at the potential of regenerative agriculture for New Zealand farmers, funded by Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, the Next Foundation and Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research.
Traditional agricultural science took a single discipline such as plant breeding and shared it with farmers, who would normally adopt one change and observe the result, she said.
But studying regenerative agriculture was not straightforward. Often farmers might adopt several changes at once, so it was much harder to draw a straight line from one change to one outcome, Grelet said.
‘‘This approach to research requires curiosity, openmindedness, and working together.
‘‘We are fortunate to live in a small country, where talented people work and live, and where the impact of one’s actions are perceived almost immediately.’’
A series of reports from the researchers has also been produced to identify what is already known and what research still needs to be done to help farmers take advantage of the global trend.
One of the report authors, Charles Merfield, head of the Future Farming Centre, said that regenerative agriculture had come about by farmers sticking up their hands and saying ‘‘we’re part of the problem and we’re going to have a go at doing something about it’’.
Now, the researchers should be able to step in and help them take it forward, he said.
‘‘I would contrast that with Federated Farmers who could be charitably described as having their head in the sand, for the past 30 years,’’ Merfield said.
It was also disappointing that a number of academics had been dismissive of what farmers were doing. There had been a chasm between the agriculture departments and the ecological department at research institutions, which should have been talking to each other and this needed to change, Merfield said.
Five reports from the series were released this month, which provide insights into where regenerative agriculture is at in New Zealand and outlined the research needed in dairy, sheep and beef, arable farming, and viticulture.
Representatives of those sectors said they hoped regenerative agriculture would enable them to make better long-term decisions, take more pride in farming, increase profitability rather than just production, continue learning and position New Zealand as a world leader in regenerative agriculture.
An accompanying white paper summarises the reports.
Fifteen additional reports on filling research gaps related to different aspects of regenerative agriculture are due to be released next month, along with a webinar series.
It was an exciting time for scientists and farmers to work together to better understand regenerative agriculture and what benefits may or may not arise, Grelet said.